


Morning Star Guiding Light

by Shaybot



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26935708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaybot/pseuds/Shaybot
Summary: In which Byleth doesn't sleep for 5 years, instead she loses her memories.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 23





	1. Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> This entire piece was much longer than I felt comfortable with for a one-shot, so it'll be several chapters. It's all done, though, just needs a bit of polish to make the chapters start and stop nicely, but there shouldn't be too much delay between chapters.

The girl’s first memory was plunging into freezing cold, roaring water. The shock of the icy river shook her from the black abyss of her mind and made her gasp in the frigid water around her. When she managed to break through the surface, she coughed up what she could and then took in a shuddering breath, earning herself another mouth full of water. After several failed attempts to make her way to the river bank, she gave in to the powerful current and focused all her energy on staying above the surface.

After what was probably only a few minutes later, but what felt like hours, the current turned towards an empty bank, like it was ready to be rid of her. She crawled away from the churning river, coughing and sputtering until she finally collapsed on the black stones of the beach. She was only able to get a blurry glance at the dim forest around her before the darkness once again claimed her.

The hermit Aquila was out for an early morning walk along the river, checking their traps for dinner when they reached the black pebble beach. They stumbled slightly when they broke through the treeline. A girl was sprawled out amidst the stones, pale green hair masking her face. Searching the shore for a boat or the wreckage of one, they knelt next to her. After brushing away her hair, Aquila felt for a pulse. It was there, but only faintly. A sharp whistle brought a large lanky hound bounding through the treeline, tail high and wagging. 

The sound of the river drew their attention once more just in time to see it rush farther up the bank before slipping back down to the natural water line again. In its wake was a sword, white and gleaming against the black stones underneath it. It sent a shiver down Aquila’s spine as they looked at it.

“Mara,” Aquila spoke in a raspy voice, “It seems the river has brought us a visitor.” With a grunt, they lifted the girl up off the ground, “I need you to take her weapon there, please.” The hound gave a cheerful bark, took the hilt in her mouth, and started off into the woods.

When the girl woke next, she found herself in a bed, wrapped in several blankets. Looking around, she saw a small, one room cabin, with a stone hearth on one wall and a single door on another. There was a worn looking table in the middle of the room and in the corner was a pump and basin. She tried to move, but before she could get out of bed a dull pain put her right back down. She groaned, every muscle aching deeply.

As she was just starting to settle back down, the door opened and an older person walked in, followed closely by a lanky hound covered in shaggy black fur. When they noticed the girl, the person approached and spoke in a voice that reminded her of wind through bare, brittle tree branches. “Glad to see you’re awake.”

“I-I,” The girl’s voice was hardly more than a croak. Aquila held up a hand and quickly went to retrieve a cup for water. After draining the cup and a few attempts to clear her throat, she managed to speak, “Where am I?”

They gave a raspy chuckle and pulled a chair next to the bed, “You’re in my cabin in the Mountains of Fodlan’s Throat. Mara and I found you washed up on the bank of the river nearby.”

The girl looked around slowly and glanced at the excited pup whose wagging tail sent her whole body shaking, “Thank you for taking me in. Who are you?”

Their weathered and wrinkled face creased as they gave a gentle smile, “My name is Aquila Lowrunner. And who might you be, my dear?”

“I,”The girl paused, brows knitting together as she blinked several times, “I don’t know.” She looked back up at the pair sitting beside her, “I can’t remember anything before falling into the river.”

“Hmm,” Aquila frowned and rubbed their chin, thinking for a moment, “Well that just won’t do, will it? You don’t remember your name?” When the girl shook her head, they nodded, “I suppose, for the time being at least, we should come up with something to call you, at least until you can remember your old one. Would that be ok with you?”

She nodded mutely, seemingly searching the cloudy reaches of her mind for any hint of who she was.

After a long moment of thinking, they spoke up again, “How about Sitara?”

“I suppose that’s as good as anything else.” She sighed, shaking her head.

After a long moment of studying the turmoil on her face, Aquila spoke again, “It is from a country to the east called Almyra. It is their name for the morning star, the last star to fade from the sky as the sun rises. I was following it when I came across you.”

She nodded again, more sure this time, then tested it out slowly, like she was feeling each letter “Sitara. Yes, I think that will do.”

Aquila was kind, if not a bit grumpy on occasion, but Sitara was just grateful to have someone who could help her recover. They allowed her to stay with them, and once she had recovered her strength, they began to coax out her innate skills. Whatever had happened to her, it left her mind covered in fog, but her body seemed to have all the muscle memory from her life before. After a short while practicing, she discovered that she was adept with a bow and sword, could make her way around the forest virtually silently, and had an affinity for handling Aquila’s skittish horse.

One day, a few months after they found her, Aquila approached Sitara with a long parcel wrapped in cloth. “I believe,” They began a bit unsure of themself as they handed the item to her, “this belongs to you.” A pause stretched between them as Sitara unfolded the cloth to reveal the sword that had washed up next to her. “It washed up with you on the morning you arrived. I,” Another pause as the pair of them ran their eyes over the long blade, “I was unsure when it would be best to give it to you. I feel,” They paused again, swallowing nervously, “I can’t be sure, and it seems absurd to say, but I feel as if it is alive, watching us.”

After another moment of silent examination, Sitara gripped the hilt properly. The sword flared to life, glowing an angry red, startling her. She hissed out a curse and the weapon that felt unnervingly like bone dropped from her grip, dimming once more by the time it hit the ground. She glanced over the hilt to see a sizable hole, but as she did so a violent shiver ran up her spine. The pair gave each other wary glances again before they agreed to wrap the blade and return it to it’s hidden space under the bed to be all but forgotten.

When Aquila passed away a year later, Sitara found herself less upset than she thought she would be. They had been ill for a while and one morning they just didn’t wake up. She had been sitting with them the evening before, helping them eat some soup she had made. After a particularly long coughing fit, Aquila spoke in a voice weaker than ever, “Take care of Mara and the cabin for me. I’m not sure, but I think you were brought here for a reason; the goddess is guiding you. Follow your instincts, they’ll lead you to where you need to be.” She nodded solemnly and took their leathery hand as they drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she set to work on digging their grave almost immediately, then went about her day cleaning out the stable, chopping firewood, and fishing up dinner like it was any other day. Mara had been more deeply affected, though, refusing to leave the gravesite for several days.

The pair became inseparable after that, the hound refusing to let Sitara out of her sight more often than not. They fished, hunted, and traveled to the nearby town for supplies together; they were all each other needed.


	2. Unexpected Guests

“Lead the way, Teach. You are our morning star, we’ll follow you anywhere!”

“What?” Sitara felt herself tilt her head towards the speaker, but her vision was too dim to see.

A familiar laugh came from somewhere on her periphery that gave her a fluttering feeling in her gut and warmth in her face, “The morning star, the last star in the sky before the sun rises. In Almyra, they call it Sitara. It’s a guiding light for travelers. If we follow your lead, we know we can’t go wrong.”

She felt a low chuckle bubble up from her chest, “Well, I hope I can live up to those lofty expectations.”

An arm reached across and laid itself across her shoulders, “You haven’t let us down so far.”

The dream faded as most of her dreams did, the weight of the boy’s arm slowly dissipated from her shoulder and the conversation continued, but dimmed to silence as consciousness took back her mind. She laid in bed a while longer, staring up at the ceiling of her cabin and trying to hold onto the dream which felt more like a distant memory. She could already feel it slipping through her fingers, though. After giving up, she sighed heavily and began to prepare for the day.

The forest was quiet; a calm breeze brought cool air down from the cliffs above. Song birds darted from tree to tree, singing their bliss into the early spring air. Sun filtered down through the ancient trees, painting the ground with a dappled green hue.

Sitara stepped out of the cabin door and stretched in the early morning light, her long pale green braid swaying with the breeze. A bow and quiver were slung over her shoulder and she was dressed in soft leather. She gave a short, high pitched whistle as she walked towards the stable and Mara came bounding out of the underbrush to greet her, tail wagging and tongue lolling out of her mouth. After releasing the horse to graze for the day, the girl and the hound headed off into the forest.

The pair had been out for a few hours, checking traps and the usual grazing spots, but hadn’t found much more than a couple of rabbits. By midday, they stopped on the edge of a clearing and unpacked a small bundle. Sitara laid out a few strips of jerky, an apple and a chunk of hard cheese. After tossing some jerky to her companion, she started in on her lunch while still keeping a watchful eye on the clearing.

Not much time had passed when sounds could be heard from the nearby forest, drawing her eyes across the clearing. It wasn’t deer steps that caught her attention, but a loud screech followed by the cracking of branches and finally a loud thud. By the time she had gathered up their lunch and was starting across the field, Mara was already disappearing into the woods. It wasn’t hard to follow the path she left and before long Sitara was face to face with a great beast covered in white scales. It was crumpled at the base of a massive pine tree, one wing bent at an odd angle and pierced by several large arrows. The wyvern hissed furiously at her as she approached, hands raised.

She spoke in a low, calm tone, trying to look for any other injuries while not getting bitten, “Easy there. I can help you if you let me come near.” When she was met with another growl, Mara gave a friendly yip, tail wagging. After a short exchange of growls, huffs and yips, the wyvern begrudgingly laid its head down before the pair, looking exhausted.

Sitara knelt beside the beast, speaking low and calmly as she looked over its wing. The wing was bent near the middle, as if it had hit a thick branch on the way down. “Alright, I’ve got to remove these arrows and set the bone before I can heal your wing, so it’s going to hurt.” First, she carefully removed the handful of arrows that had pierced the thin membrane of the great beast’s wing. Then, moving quickly, she moved the bone back into place, earning a loud growl, but not much more than that. She placed her hand over the wing and focused on knitting bone and skin back together. When she was finished, she sat back and wiped the sweat from her brow on her sleeve.

The wyvern gave a high pitched whine, then shifted to lift its wing. Slumped between the beast’s leathery side and a large rock was a man who looked as if he had been shoved behind his mount. She could see that he was unconscious, face sticky with blood. Sitara cursed as she approached carefully. She heard a concerned whine as she knelt next to him. She could see a sizable cut above his eye that the blood was coming from and when she shifted him off the rock, she discovered an arrow broken off in his bicep. After quickly healing the cut on his head and cleaning off the blood, she hauled the man up onto the wyvern’s back. “If you can carry him, I can fix up his arm in my cabin. It’s not that far of a walk from here.” After a short growl, the group headed back.

When they reached the cabin, she hoisted the man off the wyvern’s back and started inside. When it gave her a worried growl, she turned and spoke, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets well. There’s not really room for you in here, but I’ll clear space in the stable once I do what I can for your friend here.” With that she continued inside.

She crossed the small room and laid the man on the bed against the far wall. After grabbing some basic first aid supplies, she moved back to the bedside. She worked quickly, but carefully to remove his coat and get a closer look at his arm. The shaft had broken off at some point in the crash, and there was only a few inches sticking out of the wound. Sitara knelt and readjusted the man’s arm to get an idea of how deep the wound was, but jumped back slightly when he groaned and turned to look blearily at her face.

For a moment neither of them moved, the man just squinted at her before finding his voice, “B-By? Wh-what’s...What happened? Where...?”

She took in a calming breath, then kept her tone as even as possible, “It’s ok, I’m here to help.” She placed a hand lightly on his arm again, “You were attacked, but I should be able to heal the worst of your wounds.” After taking another appraising look at the arrowhead, she gave him a guilty look, “I’ve got to get this arrow out of your arm, though. I need you to hold still, ok?”

Before he had a chance to protest, Sitara gripped the shaft with one hand and pulled it out as evenly and straight as possible. Quickly, she washed out the wound, then placed both hands over the sizable gash. She closed her eyes and focused on urging muscle and skin to come together again. By the time she was satisfied, she opened her eyes to see light fading from a thick scar and her hands. Sighing, she looked once more at the man’s face, “I’m sorry, I’m not particularly skilled in healing magic, so you’ve got a scar.”

The man was panting and sweating, but hadn’t seemed to have looked away from her face the entire time. The look on his face was one of utter confusion, mixed with the pain. He seemed on the brink of passing out once more, though, so she tried to assure him, “Don’t worry, you can rest here as long as you need. You’re safe here.” Unable to hold on to consciousness any longer, his eyes closed once more.

True to her word, Sitara returned to the wyvern pacing outside and led it to the stable. She moved some tack and a large chest to the cabin and scattered hay around a stall she used for storage. After the giant reptile was settled in, she brought the two rabbits they had trapped earlier in the day and laid them before the beast. “You’ll need to eat to regain your strength. I’m sure you want to get out of here after you were attacked like that. Let me take care of him, you just worry about yourself.” The wyvern made a small, almost cooing noise before she swallowed one of the rabbits whole. Before returning, she made sure to lock the main stall tightly, hoping her already spooked horse wouldn’t try to bash through the door and escape.

Back in the cabin, Mara was laying next to the bed, gnawing on an old bone. Sitara gave the man one more examination to be sure there weren’t any other injuries she’d missed. When she was satisfied, she picked up the man’s coat and examined the torn and stained sleeve where the arrow had hit. She spent a short time cleaning out the blood, then dug her sewing kit out of a cabinet. She didn’t have any thread as fine as the material the coat was made out of, but she figured it would be better to close the hole with inferior thread, than let it remain and have the edges start to fray.  
After the coat was fixed up, she looked down at Mara, “I’m going to go fish up some dinner. You stay here and come get me if he wakes up again.” With that, she grabbed a pole and bucket and headed out again.

She spent close to three hours down by the riverside, letting the rushing of the water before her wash away troubling thoughts. Before she returned, she gutted and cleaned her haul, saving herself from having to clean it later. The hound was still laying next to the bed, dutifully watching the door when she got back. She left the door open, “You’ll have to go find your own dinner tonight, Mara. I’ll leave the door open for you until I go to bed.” The hound huffed as she loped out of the cabin, tail high and wagging lazily.

She propped the door with a stone before she started preparing the fish. Every once in a while she would look over at the man laying in her bed. He was handsome, with broad shoulders and a neatly trimmed beard. His clothing was all made of fine fabrics, stitched through with shimmering gold, which was probably why he was targeted. His skin was tanned and his hair was dark, marking him as foreign. A noble foreigner at that, which wasn’t particularly surprising, considering their proximity to the Almyran border, especially since relations had improved with the new king. The look in his eyes when he had woken up startled her, though, like he was taking in every inch of her face. Idly, she thought back on the moment and realised she had never seen eyes so brilliantly green, and yet they still seemed so achingly familiar.

By the time the sun had fully set, Mara had returned and the pair were ready for bed. Sitara again looked at the man in the bed, still resting peacefully, then walked to a cupboard and pulled out a bedroll she stored for long trips. She unfurled it on the floor in front of the door and laid a plain steel blade next to her before settling down to sleep. “If anyone comes near, I need you to wake me.” She spoke to the hound, “The people who shot them down may still be searching.” Mara gave a hearty wuff and the pair laid down for a well deserved rest after the excitement of the day.


	3. Meeting Again

The morning sun rose to greet Sitara, already packing away her bedroll. She glanced to be sure the man was still unconscious before heading out to the stable. After giving her horse a calming pat on the neck she continued walking to check on the wyvern occupying her second stall.

When she rounded the wall, the wyvern was laying down, but staring at her. Before she could speak, it gave its wings a flap, as if answering her question before she could ask it. “I’m glad you’re feeling well.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, “Your rider is still asleep. I’m low on food, so I need to go hunting, but I’ll leave Mara with him to be sure no one can get to him.” The great beast stood and growled in protest, but she shook her head, “You should probably stay here. Your white scales would be a beacon for whoever is out there searching for the two of you.” The beast hissed its defeat and lowered back to the floor. “I’ll bring you back something to eat, I promise, just stay in here. The rest will do you good.”

Before long, Sitara was out on her own, checking the traps that she had reset yesterday and keeping an eye on nearby grazing spots. By midday, she had gathered a few rabbits and was stopped for lunch like the day before. It was still a bit early in spring to expect many larger animals, so she wasn’t surprised when there weren’t any deer this far up the mountains.

As she was sitting down to her lunch, she noticed the sound of crunching sticks across a clearing. After a few moments of waiting, a trio of rough looking men entered the clearing, all dressed in thick leather armor and armed to the teeth. Sitara raised an eyebrow as she watched them from the tree line and silently climbed up into the tree she had been eating under. She pulled her bow out and knocked an arrow as she watched them make a path across the field. They were headed in the direction of the river and her cabin.

She followed the men for a short time, working over what to do in her mind. In the end, she decided it best to eliminate the threat before they could endanger anyone else. She loosed an arrow, letting it pierce one man in the back. He fell with a heavy thud and his companions stopped to begin searching the surrounding forest. She knocked another arrow and loosed it to land in another man’s thigh. As he fell to the ground, she dropped to the forest floor, training another arrow at the standing man before speaking roughly, “This forest is under my protection. You will leave now, or you will not leave at all.”

The man still standing laughed and started towards her, “You shouldn’t have come out of hiding, little bird.” He was on the ground with an arrow in his heart before he took three steps. Sitara looked down on the wounded man, “It is a mercy to kill you at this point.” and she ran her hunting knife across his throat.

She spent a short while retrieving what arrows she could salvage from the bodies and any useful supplies they had before heading home to wash the blood from her body in the river. She was almost done when Mara ran to meet her at the river’s edge, barking lightly. She sighed and dressed quickly before grabbing the rabbits from the hunt and returning to the cabin.

Sure enough, the man was sitting up in bed, gripping his head and groaning. She paused at the door, trying not to startle him. He dropped a hand to look at her, though, so she walked into the room. “How are you feeling?” She asked, dropping her hunt on the floor by the door. “You two had quite a fall.”

The look on his face was one of utter disbelief, like he had seen a ghost. He shook his head and looked back up at her, mouth agape. She crossed the room to retrieve a pot and some tea leaves from a cabinet near the hearth. “Try not to over exert yourself. You’ve been unconscious for about a day and a half.” As she poured water into the pot, she continued speaking, “Don't worry, your wyvern is safely in my stable. I’ve healed its wing, but it's probably still weak. The two of you should try to stay here and rest for at least another day.”

When she brought over a cup of tea to him, he finally found his voice. “Y-you’re alive?!” 

She furrowed her brows at him as she set the cup on the bedside table. “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to be up?” She brushed his hair out of the way and placed a hand on his forehead with a quiet hum, “You don’t feel feverish. Maybe I should call on the medic from the village nearby.”

Before she could pull her hand away, he grabbed it and searched her face, “Have you been here this whole time?” The look on his face was conflicted; the depth of his attention unsettled her.

She tried to pull her hand free, but he held fast. She looked from their joined hands to his face, lips pressed tightly together. “Sir, please calm down. I don’t want you to hurt yourself all over again.”

The man’s face fell and he let go of her hand, “Sir?” A look of panic settled over him and when he spoke again, his voice was soft and shaking, “Byleth, what happened to you?”

She took a few steps back, still watching him, “I’m sorry. I don’t know who you think I am, but if we’ve met, I do not remember you.”

He sat there for a long time, just staring at his hands, like he was trying to crush the panic rising in his chest. After the long pause, he found the words amidst the chaos in his mind, “You were...she was my teacher...my friend. I lost her during a battle almost seven years ago now. The earth opened up and took her from me. I’ve...I’ve been searching for her ever since.”

Sitara sat at the table in the center of the room, hands clasped in her lap, “She must have been quite the woman to merit that kind of devotion.”

He looked over at her again, a sad look on his face, “She was amazing.” He sighed and paused for a moment, “I’m sorry, I should have asked your name. Your...resemblance just caught me off guard. My name is Claude.”

She reached out her hand to shake his, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Claude.”

He reached for her hand, but froze when he looked at it. “Where...where did you get that bracelet?”

She looked down at the pair of golden antlers that wreathed her wrist, “I’m not sure, to be honest. I’ve had it just about forever.” She paused, cleared her throat, then added sheepishly, “My memory isn’t the best.”

Claude looked over at her, taking in her pale green hair and eyes, a color he’d only seen on one other person, “what’s your name?”

"I'm Sitara.”

"The morning star." He mumbled, looking like he might be sick, “Our guiding light.”

This shook her, bringing an intense sense of deja vu, “I-I...yes, that’s right. My friend gave it to me when I washed up on the river bank. I couldn’t remember anything before that and they were following the star the morning they found me.” She looked away, unsure why she felt like this stranger should know all this.

He looked at her again suspiciously, studying every detail, “How far back do you remember?”

She paused, but answered honestly, “I’ve been here for about 6 years, I think.”

The pair just looked at each other for several moments before he spoke, “Don’t you find it odd,” he took her hand again, “that you just happen to be missing everything starting just a handful of years back and look exactly like my professor?”

“You said it yourself,” She tried again to pull gently away from his grip, but failed, “she was swallowed up by the earth. No one could survive that.”

“She could.” He spoke earnestly, staring her straight in the eyes with more conviction than anyone she’d ever seen, “She had someone on her side. I don’t know if it was the goddess or something else, but she could survive anything.”

“Hmph,” Sitara stepped away, pulling on her hand more forcefully now, “sounds like delusions to me.” She regained control of her hand and crossed her arms, looking away, unsettled by the way her stomach seemed to twist when their eyes met. “You need rest. Drink your tea. I’ll get you something small to eat, but after that, you should really try to sleep again.” She started towards the door, but paused and turned back, “Does your wyvern have a name?”

He was still studying her, like he thought there was something he was missing, “Her name’s Esil.”

She nodded, picked up the rabbits, and walked out towards the stable. After dropping one on a work table, she continued into the stable. “Hello, Esil. I’ve brought you some dinner.” She laid the two remaining rabbits in front of the beast, then leaned against the wall, “Your rider’s awake. I’m concerned about him, though. He seems delusional. I’m going into town tomorrow to see if one of the medics will come take a look at him.” The wyvern jumped up, but Sitara held out a hand, “He still needs rest. I’ll see if he would like to come see you after he’s eaten.” Esil gave a high pitched growl and dropped to the ground heavily before taking a large bite out of one of the rabbits.

Back in the cabin, Claude was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, visibly shaking. His mind was racing and he felt sick to his stomach, but he couldn’t be sure if that was from hitting his head or the shock. He had been looking for her for so long and now she was right here; she had been here the whole time, and yet she wasn’t. For a brief moment, he thought perhaps he was remembering her face slightly differently, that he was projecting onto this stranger due to the long, tiring journey he’d been on. That idea was quickly thrown out when he saw her bracelet, though; he’d know that piece anywhere.

Claude heaved a heavy sigh as he took shaky steps over to the table and muttered to himself, “It’ll do me no good to keep trying to convince her. She’ll just end up getting defensive. Maybe I could try to get more information about when she woke up.” Again he had to lean over, hold his head, as the world spun around him. He groaned miserably, “I finally find her after 7 years and she doesn’t even know who I am.”


	4. Revelations

Sitara stood over the dead rabbit on her work table, mindlessly going through the motions of skinning and cleaning it for cooking. The easy work soothed her; each smooth stroke of her knife was practiced and routine. For just a moment, she could almost forget about the wyvern in her stable that was spooking her horse, and the man in her cabin who claimed to know her. Before long, though, for as slow and deliberate as she had been, the work was done and she had to return to the cabin to cook what was left.

She entered the cabin the same way she prepared the rabbit, slowly and carefully. Remaining silent, Claude watched her closely as she began to prepare the meat, quietly for a while, then he spoke up. “I should apologize. Regardless of who you may or may not be, you saved my life and I owe you much for that. If there’s anything I can do for you, just say the word.”

She eyed him as she placed a heavy pan over the hearth fire, “That is kind of you, Claude, but I was just doing my duty to the forest. It saved my life when I washed up on that riverside and now I protect it and its inhabitants. I don’t appreciate wanton violence in such a peaceful place.” She tossed in the rabbit and it hissed loudly on the heat, “Why were you attacked?”

He rested his chin in his hands, thinking for a moment, “It was probably just some bandits hoping I had something worth stealing or that I was worth abducting.”

She glanced over at him, “Are you worth abducting?”

He gave a curt laugh, “Depends on who you ask.”

“Fair,” Sitara flipped over the rabbit and changed the subject, “I’m going into town tomorrow. I would feel better if an actual medic were to take a look at you. The two of you were pretty hurt when I came upon you.”

“I thought you said I needed to rest tomorrow?”

“You do. That’s why I’m going to see if anyone will come back here with me. It’s not too far for a day trip there and back if I leave by dawn.” When he looked like he was going to argue, she threw a pointed stare over her shoulder, “I’m leaving Mara here to make sure you’re not alone. She’s good in a fight if more of those bandits show up.”

He straightened, “More?”

She nodded, pulling two plates from a nearby cabinet, “I ran into three of them while I was out hunting today.” His eyes widened, but she waved him off, “I took care of them.” She divided the meat between the plates and sat across from him at the table. For a time, they just ate and she tried to ignore how much she could feel him looking at her.

After a few minutes, though, he spoke up again. “When you woke up, did you have anything with you?”

She looked up at him, one eyebrow cocked, “That’s kind of a strange question. Why do you ask?”

He sighed, “When...my friend fell, it was very near the source of this river. She had a very distinctive weapon with her.”

After a long moment of chewing, she dropped her fork and stood. With a heavy sigh, Sitara walked over to the bed and knelt to reach underneath it. When she returned to the table, she was gingerly holding a long blade made of bone, “This washed up on the shore alongside me.”

He looked between her and the sword several times before speaking in a strained voice, “...That’s it. It’s called the sword of the creator. She was the only one that could wield it.”

She held it out to him, “You should take it. I’ve never used it; it...unsettles me, honestly. I feel like it’s watching me.”

Again, he looked at the blade, “No, I can’t. It holds terrible power and if she is no longer around to wield it, then it would be better off lost.”

Sitara propped the blade against the wall and sat again. When she reached for her fork, the fire light glinted off her bracelet, “Why did you want to know about my bracelet?”

He looked back down at his plate, “It’s...familiar.”

“Did she have one similar?”

When he looked back up she could see the conflict on his face, “Yes...I had it made for her birthday.”

“I see.” After a few moments of looking over her wrist, she picked up the two empty plates, “It’s getting late and you need rest. You should go see Esil before you go to sleep, though. I’m afraid she’ll tear down the walls of my stable and cabin if you don't.”

Claude nodded and made his way outside. As soon as he entered the stable, he could hear the shuffle of claws in straw, shortly followed by a long white head staring him down as he approached. He couldn’t help but crack a small smile upon seeing the pointed stare his companion gave him, despite the turmoil in his mind. After a soft pat to the muzzle, Claude pushed the beast back into the stall so he could pace in front of her.

“Esil, it’s her, Byleth, Teach,” He had never felt so scattered in all his life, “I’ve been searching for her for 7 years and she’s right in there...and she doesn’t even remember me.” He stopped pacing for a moment and gave the wyvern the most desperate look, “What am I supposed to do now? Just forget she’s out here? I already lost her once, I don’t know if I can handle that again.”

The wyvern gave a high pitched whine and tilted her head. Claude sighed, trying to calm himself, and wrapped his arms around the big reptile’s muzzle, resting his head in between her horns, “What am I going to do Esil?”

By the time he returned several minutes later, she had cleaned away their dishes, changed and pulled out her bedroll. She stuck her head out of the door and gave a loud, short whistle, and in a matter of seconds Mara was bounding into the cabin. Sitara sat down at the table again and started brushing out her long hair before she spoke again, “Where were you headed?”

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly mesmerized by the motion of the brush through her hair. When he gathered himself, he shook his head slightly, “I was on my way back to Garreg Mach Monastery. Do you know it?”

“I’ve heard of it,” She paused, still dragging the brush through her long hair. “You were coming back from Almyra?”

The pair paused for several seconds, staring at each other. She blinked several times, then continued dragging the brush through her hair, wondering where the question came from.

He continued watching her carefully, “I was.”

Another question bubbled up from some hidden recess, “Did you achieve what you went there to do?” She stopped again, setting the brush aside and quickly braided her hair to hide the shake in her hands, “I’m sorry, I don’t know where this is coming from. It’s none of my business.” Her brows furrowed deeply, and her lips were a thin line as she tied off the end of her braid. It was like someone was speaking through her, forcing their voice to be heard.

He stood suddenly and came to stand before her. When she refused to look up at him, he knelt down to stare into her eyes, a slight small smile playing on his lips, “I knew you were in there somewhere. If you come back to the monastery with me, maybe it will bring back your memories, or-”

She cut him off by standing so suddenly that her chair fell back, “No, Claude.” She turned away, “I told you before. I’m nobody. I have no name or past of my own. Whoever I was before I crawled out of that river is gone. She’s not coming back.” Before he could say anything else, she left, subconsciously grabbing the sword next to the door on her way.

By the time she reached the river side, Mara had reached her, giving a concerned wuff. She ignored the hound and stared at the sword in her hand. After a tense minute, she shifted her grip and took a cautious swing. The blade, despite how long and heavy it appeared, seemed perfectly balanced. She looked over it again, eyeing the hole in the hilt, ignoring the way her pulse quickened when she stared into it. Suddenly, she was overcome with frustration and fury. Almost without meaning to, she sliced at the air again. To her surprise, the blade exploded in bright red light, separating and lashing out, whip-like. Cursing, she dropped the sword and took several shaking steps backwards. Mara barked and pushed at her hand with her cold, wet nose. She found herself staring back and forth between the fallen blade and her own hands as she shook all over, terrified of the implications of all of this.

Before long, the pair returned to the cabin. Sitara gingerly laid the sword on the table, then looked over at Claude, who was now sitting on the bed, “Why was she the only one to wield it?”

He quietly studied her for a moment before answering, “That sword belonged to the king of liberation, bearer of the crest of flames. She’s the only person since then to have that crest. Without it, the sword would consume whoever tried to use it, turning them into a demonic beast.”

“I see,” she muttered, still looking over the blade. After another moment, she rolled out her sleeping mat in front of the door and laid down.

“Good night, Byleth.”

She threw a glare over her shoulder, but he was already turned away from her.


	5. More Guests

She woke before dawn and was dressed and packed for the trip by the time Claude was sitting up. “Good morning. I’ve got a bit more jerky and cheese in the cabinet by the stove if you need breakfast. As long as everything goes well, I should be back by midday.” When Mara stood to leave the cabin with her, Sitara looked down at her, “You stay here. Make sure none of those bandits make any trouble.” When the shaggy dog whined, she gave both of her ears a thorough scratch and smiled softly at her, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

She was riding into a sizable town in the east of Ordelia territory just an hour or so after sunrise. The clinic wouldn’t be open for a while yet, so she stopped by the market to pick up supplies. She picked up a warm loaf of bread at the baker’s first, then made her way to the cheesemonger. She was just looking over some arrows when she happened to overhear a pair of voices from nearby.

“Have you heard anything yet?”

“No, I’ve had people keeping a close eye on the border, but still nothing.”

“I’m starting to get worried. He should have been back by now.”

After paying for a quiverful of arrows, she turned to make her way to the clinic. She noticed the two girls who had been speaking at a table close by. They were both colorfully dressed and young, talking over a pair of tea cups. Sitara tried to skirt around the edge of the plaza on her way, but was startled when one of the girls shouted, “Professor?”

She tried to ignore the voice, but heard footsteps approaching her as she walked away. Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, turning her roughly around and she was face to face with the pair. One was taller, with bright pink hair, the other rather short with stark white hair and pink eyes. “It is you! Where have you been, Professor?” The taller continued to shout.

After a moment of looking from one girl to the next, she gripped her bag and took a step back, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The look they gave her was almost identical to the one she’d received from Claude, giving her an unsettled feeling in her gut. “I need to go. I hope you find who you’re looking for.” 

When she tried to walk away again, the other girl spoke up, “You’re missing memories, aren’t you? Do you know what you did before the war?”

She looked away and cursed quietly before looking back at the pair, “Look, whoever I was before doesn’t matter. She’s gone. I’m just a hunter. If I knew the two of you before, I don’t remember you now. I’m sorry.”

“But, Professor,” The tall girl almost whined, “we need you.”

With a quick look, she turned, “Listen, I’m sorry, I really am, but there’s nothing left of your professor in here.” After a moment, she sighed and winced a bit, “You two were looking for someone, correct?”

The two looked at each other, then turned back, nodding.

“Was he a part of whatever class I supposedly taught?”

Their eyes widened and the tall girl took a step closer, “Did you find Claude?”

Raising her hands, Sitara took a step back, “He was attacked over the mountains east of here. He’s recovering in my cabin. I was coming to town to get a medic to take a look at him. I did what I could, but I’m not exactly trained.”

The two heaved a collective sigh, “Thank goodness.” The white haired girl spoke, “Could you take us with you?”

“I suppose. It’s a couple hours on horseback from here. Do either of you have a mount?”

“We can get some!” The taller girl said, practically jumping on her.

The third girl looked up, rather sadly at her, “I suppose if you don’t remember us, we should introduce ourselves. Professor, I am Lysithea von Ordelia. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you again.”

With an enthusiastic nod, the other girl spoke, “And I’m Hilda Valentine Goneril. We were all pretty sure you had died after you fell into that chasm. Well, except for Claude. He’s been spending all his free time trying to find you. He was absolutely inconsolable when no one could find you after you fell. I don’t think I saw him for at least a week.”

Lysithea nodded, “While I was on patrol after the attack, I would often find him searching the river.”

Sitara looked away, a twinge of guilt in her gut, “I need to get going. The clinic should be open by now and the trip back is going to take longer with this many people.”

The girls nodded, agreeing to meet at the stable on the edge of town where the professor’s horse was boarded. It took less than an hour to meet with a medic and convince them to travel out with them. By the time the group was heading out into the mountains it was almost midday. Just as she anticipated, the trip home was a fair bit slower than the trip to town, but they made it before too long.

Sitara expected to hear Mara barking from the cabin, but their approach was only met with silence. Dismounting, she held out a hand to the other three, “Wait here, something’s wrong.” She pulled out a dagger and approached the cabin door. When she opened it, her stomach dropped to see the place completely empty. She gave a loud sharp whistle and grabbed the sword of the creator, still sitting on the table. Seconds later Mara came bounding from the direction of the riverside.

The girl and hound met halfway, “Where is he?” With a loud bark, they darted off, back towards the riverside. She was mildly aware of the shouting voices coming from behind her, but adrenaline drowned them out. When they reached the clear riverbank the hound put her nose to the ground and, after a moment of searching, took off into the woods. Sitara followed close behind, sword in hand.

Before long, they burst into a small clearing to find a small cluster of thugs surrounding a tree on the far side. With a shout, she swung the massive blade in her hands, tearing across the backs of two men. When the circle broke to look back at her, she could see Claude leaning against the base of the tree, beaten thoroughly, but still conscious. Cursing, she leapt forward, plunging the blade through the chest of one of the startled men. Meanwhile, Mara was tackling another, her jaws around his throat.

“You idiot, what are you doing out here?” She shouted as she jumped back to dodge a swipe. Even with her back to him, she could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Come on, Teach, you should know I couldn’t sit still for that long.”

“Stop calling me that! I don’t know you!” With another shout, she took a slash at one of the men and watched him fall dead.

“You used to. You still do, somewhere in there.” He sounded hurt almost.

She spun, blade whipping out at an approaching man, and paused to look at Claude, “Can you walk?” A loud growl, a shout, and a wet thud behind her let her know that Mara had taken out the last of the thugs.

With a grunt, he picked himself up, leaning heavily on the tree, “Probably.”

Sitara sighed and approached him, “Come on, there are people waiting for us back at the cabin.” She draped his arm over her shoulder and the trio made their way back much more slowly than they had left. For a moment, she was struck by an intense sense of familiarity between the weight of him next to her and the scent of pine mixed with the sweat and blood.

“People?” Claude looked down at her as they walked, “I thought you were just bringing a medic.”

“I ran into someone in town and they insisted on accompanying me. They said they were friends of yours.”

“Did they recognize you?”

She let the question hang in the air for a moment, feeling that same guilty twinge in her gut. “It doesn’t matter. They said you’ve been gone quite a while.”

He gave a short laugh, “Yeah, I guess I have been gone a bit longer than I’d initially planned. Sometimes that’s what happens when you’re following your dreams, though. I did, by the way.”

She looked up at him briefly, “Hm?”

“You asked last night if I was successful in Almyra. I was. Everything’s falling into place and yet it still doesn’t feel right.”

“Maybe that’s not what you actually wanted, then.” She spoke, still looking straight ahead, trying to ignore his eyes on her face.

“I think I just expected to have someone to share it all with by now.”

They soon broke through the tree line to see the concerned faces of the other three waiting outside the cabin. With a grunt, Sitara jerked her head towards the cabin and led the rest of them inside. She helped Claude into a chair, then left the cramped cabin to stable her horse. She heaved a great sigh as she put away the saddle, blanket and bridle. After giving her horse a pat on the neck, she walked to the stall where Esil was nervously shifting.

“Everything’s ok now. The medic is here to take care of him.” She groaned and sat inside the stall, leaning her head back against the wall. Mara whined and licked her cheek. With an absent minded pat on the head, Sitara pushed her away. “Hush, Mara, I’m fine. It’s been a long day.” When she felt wet fur on her hand, she looked back down at the big dog, “Your muzzle is covered in blood, Mara. Go clean yourself up.” She gave another whine, but hauled herself up and left the stable. Sitara sighed and leaned her head back again.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there; she had fallen asleep at some point in the silence. The sound of approaching footsteps woke her. She opened one eye to see who turned the corner and entered the stall. Esil shuffled impatiently next to her as Claude appeared. He looked freshly healed and mostly washed up. She grunted and stood, moving out of the stall, keeping her back to him, “Medic get you patched up?”

“Yep, said I’m good as new. Hilda, Lysithea, and I will be heading on to the monastery soon.”

She nodded, arms crossed, feeling exhausted and relieved, “Good.”

“I wanted to thank you, this is the second time you’ve saved my life in just about as many days. Not that you haven’t before, but you don’t even know me at this point. I told you you were amazing, didn’t I?”

She shook her head, eyes closed, “Please stop it. You need to move on.”

There was a long moment of silence as he looked at her, “If that’s what you want, I’ll have to try. Just know that I loved you, still do.”

“How can you?” she spun around and looked up at him suddenly, brows furrowed, “I’m barely the person you knew any more.”

A bittersweet smile spread across his face, “You may not remember, but I do, and trust me, you haven’t changed a bit.”

She sighed and turned away, “It doesn’t matter, this is my place now.”

“Alright, but you’ll always be welcome home at the monastery if you change your mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a fair bit short than the rest have been, but I do hope you enjoy it.


	6. Coming Home

Everyone was gone and it was just the girl and her hound once more. Sitara went fishing for dinner, prepared and ate it in silence. When she laid down in bed that night, her cabin felt almost too big. She went hunting the next day and finally found a deer to replenish her stocks with. Over the next several days, life had gone back to normal.

One night, though, she awoke in the middle of the night feeling restless. Unable to fall back asleep, she dressed and walked down to the riverside. She sat, Mara laying beside her, and stared up at the stars.

The past was something she had long ago stopped trying to think about. During her first several months with Aquila, they had tried to help her clear some of the fog surrounding her mind. Every attempt only ended in head aches and mental exhaustion, so she had just stopped trying, accepting that her life before the fall was unknowable for her. Sitara ran her hands down her face, exasperated at it all. Things had been so simple before. Things should be simple again, but she just couldn’t stop thinking.

She felt the presence that appeared before she saw it. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck raised and the air felt charged with magic. Her hands dropped and as she looked up, her eyes widened. Mara simply lifted her head, huffed a greeting to the girl seemingly floating above the water’s surface, and went back to sleep. The girl floating before the pair gave a small chuckle before speaking, “Byleth, I think I may have done more harm than good when I tried to protect you from that fall.”

“What?!” Sitara fell backwards, staring unbelievingly at the girl before her.

“I’m afraid when you fell into that chasm, in my attempt to protect your body, I fragmented your mind. My mistake lost you dear friends and loved ones.” The girl leaned back, sitting on something unseen, resting her chin on her fist.

“What...Who are you?”

“Oh goodness, I suppose I really did make a mess of things, didn’t I?” The girl sighed, then floated down to sit on the ground beside her, “I am the goddess Sothis and I am a part of you. Our souls were combined into one, but even before that I was with you.”

Sitara looked over the girl’s face, slack jawed, but keenly aware of a sense of deep familiarity, “I...I don’t understand.”

“I have been within you since your birth, but in a weakened state. When I awoke, I could remember nothing, not even my own name, but as we went through life together the pieces I was missing seemed to return to me.” She paused and looked out a bit sadly over the river rushing past, “We had a bit of a misstep along the way, though, and the only way to survive was for me to give you my divine power.” Sothis turned and gave Sitara a somber smile, “We could not speak any more, but I was still with you, watching as you put my power to good use...and I was so proud of you.”

She looked away again, a bitter pout on her lips, “Then that foolish child allied herself with the wicked ones and started a war that, as your dear Claude said, tore the earth asunder....and you fell.” Her eyes closed and a shudder ran through her, like she was recalling a nightmare, “As you fell, I was pulled to the surface and I fell with you.” Sothis glared and her tone turned indignant, “A most horrifying feeling, really. If you had just-”

Sitara flinched as the goddess pointed a small finger at her, a look of anxiety overcoming her features. After a pause, Sothis sighed heavily and turned back to look out at the river, her hands pulling her knees up to her chest, “but it matters not. You always were a bit too self sacrificing. Anyway, you lost consciousness and I was able to harness our power to bring us to a realm outside of this one. I was still weak, though, and could only hold on to my own consciousness for a short time before I had to rest once more. It took what little strength I had just to return you to this world and guide you to safety before I slumbered once more.”

“I awoke, if only barely, the day the boy fell in your forest. I attempted to pull your memories back to the forefront subtly, but I’m afraid your mind was too fragmented for that. If I am to put things back as they should be, I will have to be more forceful about it.” At Sitara’s wary look, Sothis waved one small hand, “There is no risk to you, I will just need to use more of our power than I have been trying to use. After that, I will be drawn back in to join with your soul once more.” She paused, looking sadly around her, “I will miss this, but you deserve to have your life back.”

A long moment of silence stretched between them before Sitara cautiously spoke up, “You’d...give my memories back? All of them?”

Sothis nodded, “Indeed. I wish to put things back as they should be.”

She looked away, out at the water rushing before them. She was quiet for a long time, brows furrowed, biting her lip. “Things were so simple before all this. I only had to worry about myself. If you fix my mind...I can’t go back to that.”

The goddess snorted out a laugh, “Can you ever really go back, knowing what you do now?”

Another long pause then, “I...I suppose not. At this point, it just feels like hiding from the past. I don’t even know why I’m hiding.”

“You’ll have to face everything that happened, the good and the bad. You won’t be alone anymore, though.”

“Were there...were there others?” She looked back over at Sothis, “that knew me before, I mean.”

Another chuckle bubbled up from the goddess’s lips, “Oh yes, you were a professor and there wasn’t a single student that didn’t care deeply for you. Besides that, you had many friends among the knights at the monastery.”

She looked up at the sky again, eyes landing on the morning star as the horizon began to turn pink, “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Two weeks later, Byleth finally arrived in the village surrounding the monastery. By the time she reached the gates, she had started noticing people staring at her in disbelief. She couldn’t remember most of them, but she still felt a sense of familiarity walking down these streets.

When she approached the monastery gates, she could see the scars of war; the walls were patched cleanly, but new stone still stood out from the old, and the gates themselves had been completely replaced. The market had been built up since her time as a professor, but many of the merchants were the same. She could see the confusion and then dawning recognition on some of their faces as she walked through, making her way to the stables. As she talked with an unfamiliar stable boy, she thought she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye, but by the time she had made sure her horse would be taken care of, he was gone.

Byleth took a moment to take in the familiar scenery around her, then continued up the path. She paused at the top of the stairs leading down into the cemetery, unsure of herself until Mara’s cold, wet nose shoved itself under her hand. She chuckled lightly, patted the big dog’s head, and made her way down to her parents’ grave. 

After a moment of quiet prayer, she spoke to the headstone, “I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me for being away so long.”

“I don’t know, Teach, you’ve got a lot of time to make up for.”

Byleth spun towards the familiar voice to see Claude standing at the bottom of the stairs, a mischievous smirk on his face. Unable to contain her excitement, she ran the short distance between them and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist, like if he didn’t hold on she might just vanish again. The pair stood there, laughing in each others’ arms for several moments, Mara circling around them, tail wagging high and fast, before either of them pulled back.

“So,” He spoke first, a bit of anxiety in his words and written all over his face, “Have you really come back to us?”

“I’m home.” She grinned up at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end has come, my dears. I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this, because I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Expect more from me soon; there are several more pieces in the works and more even that I've yet to start on.


End file.
